Why Does My Autistic Child Repeat Everything I Say?

I haven’t brought up this topic because, to me, this is so fundamental that I thought I would be telling you what you already knew, but…after a private message from a concerned parent, I realized this has to be the topic of today’s post.

Autistic children and adults sometimes repeat the words others say as an attempt to communicate verbally. It’s called “echolalia”. It can actually be an indicator of developing verbal language skills.

Again, they are trying to communicate with you the way you communicate with them, verbally, but they may not have gotten the hang of how reciprocal language works yet.

Learn more about your autistic loved one’s behavior, intentions, and communication style by picking up a copy of my book, What Did I Do Wrong?: An Accessible Guide to Preventing Traumatic Misunderstandings Between You and Your Autistic Loved One.